The Namibia Investment and Promotion Development Board (NIPDB) and OMDis Town Transform Agency have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to foster the development of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises at the former mining town of Oranjemund and across the ||Kharas Region.

OMDis Town Transform Agency is a Section 21 Company, and its sole purpose is to accelerate the transformation of the former diamond mining town of Oranjemund through economic diversification.

The company had received seed funding from the mining giant Namdeb.

The 7th Oranjemund Diamond Festival was officially launched by the Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Emma Theofelus.

nbc reporter Luqman Cloete and camera operator Simon Isaak caught up with the acting Oranjemund CEO, Charles Kakuru, for a glimpse of what the four-day festivity has to offer.

A man has been arrested at Rosh Pinah after allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl.

According to the Namibian Police, the teenager was looking for a ride from Rosh Pinah to Noordoewer. The 49-year-old driver, who is the suspect, then took the teen to his house, allegedly informing her that he was waiting for additional passengers who were scheduled to arrive from Oranjemund.

The suspect then raped the girl, according to the police report.

The suspect was arrested and detained at the Rosh Pinah police holding cells.

Since it became a municipally governed area 12 years ago, Oranjemund continues to make progress in implementing capital projects in the current financial year.

Charles Kakuru, Acting CEO of the Oranjemund Town Council, says the infrastructure development promotes economic growth in the town.

"We have embarked on several projects in our council, starting with the construction of our Emergency Fire station, as it is commonly known. We embarked on that project last year in 2021 at a cost of about N$15 million, and the project is well within the timelines."

With the influx of people to Oranjemund in the ||Kharas Region since its proclamation as a local authority, the former mining town faces an acute housing shortage.

Against this backdrop, the town council began housing projects to address the housing squeeze.

A N$27 million bulk services construction project for low-cost housing was recently completed at the former mining town, at Extension 11.

50 shack dwellers' houses had been constructed on the 320 available serviced plots at the extension.

The proposal to proclaim Rosh Pinah a town is still ongoing.

Despite this, Oranjemund Constituency Councillor Lazarus Nangolo commended Government ministries and agencies for opening offices to provide much-needed services to the mining community.

The mining town of Rosh Pinah is situated in southern Namibia and is home to two mines.

Zinc and lead have been mined in the area since the mines opened 54 years ago.

Rosh Pinah forms part of the Oranjemund political constituency, of which Nangolo is a Regional Councillor.

The Debmarine-Namdeb Foundation has inaugurated the seabird emergency response units at the southern towns of Luderitz and Oranjemund in the ||Kharas Region.   

The Debmarine-Namdeb Foundation in a statement says one of its environmental goals is to conserve seabirds on the Namibian coastline and in its marine economic zone. 

The Chairperson of the foundation Brent Eiseb confidently said that the country is now prepared to handle any emergency where seabirds are affected in case of oil spills in the oceans.